Keep in mind that all pumpkins need warmth and sunlight to ripen. Also, they need a dry place to avoid mold or rot. When the pumpkins are completely green, you need to rotate them evenly. In order that every part gets exposed to sunshine, it could be evenly ripe.
5 Types of Green Pumpkins
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Pumpkins exist in a wide range of colors. Green pumpkins, specifically, come in multiple shades of green from dark green to light green, while some can be multicolored, like the ‘Speckled Hound’.
They can be genetically green, or artificial factors like harvesting methods can influence the color. Some naturally green pumpkins include ‘Kabocha’, ‘Marina di Chioggia’, ‘Bonbon’, and ‘Acorn’.
Green pumpkins are sought after for both pumpkin décor, solely because they add a nice contrast to the more typical and monotonous orange fruits and for various cooking specialties.
Table of Contents
Why Are They Green?
Although some might argue that green pumpkins are unripe, some are naturally green, even when fully mature and ripe. However, if your pumpkins are supposed to turn color to orange when ripe, it is fine for them to stay green up to the end of the harvest season.
If they haven’t turned orange by then, there could be a problem. Maybe you planted your seeds late, hoping for a late harvest, and cold weather sets in before your pumpkins are ready for harvesting.
If extremely cold weather sets in and frost starts appearing on your green pumpkin, you might have to cut the fruit from the vine to keep it from rotting.
Do Green Pumpkins Stay Green?
Genetically green pumpkins will stay green even after ripening. However, if your pumpkin is supposed to turn orange and the harvest season is fast approaching a halt, it can be frustrating to watch frost kill the vines before the fruits are fully mature. Even so, you can still get the healthy green pumpkins and help them turn orange in a few steps.
- First, harvest the green pumpkin. The best way to do this is to leave a vine handle at the top, at least 4 in, that will prevent the pumpkin from rotting from the top.
- Wash your green pumpkin. Give your green pumpkins a gentle wash or wipe with a diluted bleach solution to wash off any mud or dirt from the rind to avoid mold and rot.
Pumpkin with a green coat
Turbinata variety. Also called Pepper Squash.
Table Queen acorn squash are a reliable old heirloom. This very old variety was introduced commercially by the Iowa Seed Company in Des Moines in 1913. This variety is believed to be derived from the nearly similar strain traditionally cultivated by the Arikara Indians.
Dark green skins and a pronounced acorn shape on fruits that average 15cm (6″) in diameter. Table Queen has excellent storage ability. The long vines are prolific and exceptionally early. The sweet interior flesh is bright yellow, but turns to a golden orange colour in storage. For best storage, allow the fruits to ripen fully on the vine, and harvest just before frost. Wipe the fruits down with a weak bleach solution, and store in a cool, dry place. Choose one with a dull green rind; an acorn squash that’s turned orange will have tough and fibrous flesh. Matures in 85 days.
Royal Acorn
A variety that is a third larger than a regular acorn. Has very productive and vigorous vines. 90 days. Green in color with lighter spots and orange pulp, dry and with the smell of walnut. The taste improves with preservation, which can last up to 8 months.
King Bush Table Acorn
Non-running acorn squash of the group “Acorn”. Very hard epidermis of dark green color. Stringy orange flesh but very fragrant. Sweet almond flavor. 4 to 8 fruits of 0.5 to 1.5 kg per plant. Preservation: 3 to 6 months. Growth: 80 to 110 days. This variety was selected by the University of Connecticut in 1974.
Tuffy
Very sweet. A unique, delicious acorn squash for baking, with thicker, sweeter, drier yellow flesh than others. Black-green skin, distinctive heavy ribbing. Avg. 2 lb. Vining plant habit. NOTES: (1) Rind is tough. Use care when cutting in half for baking. (2) For best sweetness wait two weeks or more after harvest. This variety was created by seed Johnny’s in Maine, USA
Sweet Reba
One of the best of the bush acorns. High yielding green-skinned (4-5 fruits/plant) with a good sweet flavor. Bred by Cornell University. Resistant Early Bush Acorn (REBA) lives up to its name as it yields well even in wet climates where disease challenges abound for the pepo types of squash. Does great in semi-arid climate too.
Very suitable for cooking, sometimes has a turban shape. Slightly less flavor than kabocha.
Buttercup squash meat is smooth, with a deep orange color. It can lean towards being a bit dry, so try steaming, simmering, stewing, and baking to bring out its natural sweetness while adding moisture. Its mild flavor makes it pair exceptionally well with hard cheeses, nuts, beef, lentils, and pumpkin pie spice. A close relative of Hubbard and banana squash.
Excellent food qualities and is one of the more highly regarded winter squashes for culinary purposes. Good Keeper. Sweetness will increase with proper storage. This squash is an excellent climber and is recommend for growing on a lattice or fence.
The turban shaped Buttercups were bred in 1927, being more desirable than Hubbards for the small size and thicker flesh. See Page 4 of the Oregon PDF
This squash began as a cross between the �Quality� and �Essex� squashes.
Burgess Buttercup
This plant produces 3-4 lb. blocky, dark green fruits. Harvest when the spot touching the ground changes to orange. Large vine.
Delica F1: the interior color was dark orange, a little yellower near the skin. The exterior was very dark green, the darkest of any we have trialed. The flesh looked a little dry and crumbly, but the texture was smooth and very creamy. The overall flavor was good. It was mild and sweet, though not quite as sweet as Sweet Mama F1. The group was divided over which one was better.
Has become popular in Italy.
Sweet Mama F1
The interior was a bright burnt orange color, it had less of a color gradient than Delica. The exterior was almost as dark green. The flesh had a smoother, moister appearance than Delica. Generally, the Sweet Mama was quite a bit larger than Delica, we have seen this to be true over the years. The texture was not quite as smooth as Delica, but it was much moister. Many thought that Sweet Mama was tastier and sweeter than Delica, with a less concentrated flavor. We liked them both.
This Japanese kabocha squash has a distinct growing habit and produces a vine with almost no side branches. The 3-4 lb fruits have dark green skin and are borne close to the root end making it possible to interplant these vines quite closely.
Culinary tips: Use in tempura, stir-fry, curries or baked. The Japanese prepare it by simmering peeled chunks in chicken broth or dashi and flavoring with soy sauce and mirin.
Baby Delica F1
In 2011 we decided we liked the texture of the full size Delica over the Baby Delica, however they were a nice size.
Orange Cutie F1: an orange mini kabocha, we trialed this in 2011, and loved the tight bush habit and high yield. We liked the flavor better than Orange Summer F1, the texture was dry. vegtrials adaptiveseeds Discus variety
Uncle David’s Dakota Dessert
Exceptional variety of Buttercup, resembling a Turkish Green Turban. Fruits from 2 to 3 kg. Orange flesh very sweet. Good productivity. Very rustic variety, tolerant to cold summers.
Bush Buttercup
Old variety introduced in 1952 in the USA.
Known as Jamaican Calabash, Jamaican pumpkin, Calabaza, Caribbean Pumpkin, or Cuban Squash.
Calabaza is a squash variety, grown Widely in Jamaica throughout Caribbean as well in the Central – and South America . It is a creeping, annual tropical vine with large lobed leaves and branching tendrils; the flesh of the fruit is bright orange. The flowers are yellow and pollination is done by bees. The leaves are mottled and grayish green in color. It can be as large as a watermelon or as small as a cantaloupe. The color of calabaza can also vary and may include greens, tans, reds and oranges. Some squash are all one color while other calabaza are multi-colored and may include all of colors listed above. The fruits vary in size, shape, and color owing to outcrossing and strain selection.
Fruit weighs about 5-12 pounds, and is round and flattened a bit on the top and bottom. Its colors are mottled green or yellow and buff-cream. The taste is sweet and Calabaza is used in many west Indianian Latin and Chinese dishes. Its firm yellowish-orange flesh is mild and sweet. Heisler likes to saute it with scallops in a white wine sauce and serve over buttered noodles.
La Estrella F1
Green, Tan, and Red-Orange skin. Excellent color. Nearly rib-less. Flavorful and stores well. A Rupp exclusive from the University of Florida. Bred by Dr. Don Maynard for uniform fruit size and superior flesh color. A preferred fruit of the World Championship Punkin Chunkin Association. Weight: 3.0 kg – 4.0 kg Maturity: 110 days
Dostal Cucumber. Donated to SSE by Arthur Dostal. A variety grown by his parents, Lewis and Mary Dostal of Tama Co., Iowa, who reportedly received it from family friends. Sweet flavor with buttery smooth texture when grown as a winter squash, but also delicious as a summer squash. 90 days.
Traditionally grown as a winter squash, but tastes good as a summer squash too. Vines produce cream white green fruit maturing to dark green that are similar in size and shape to a cucumber.
The squash gained its name and popularity by James J. H. Gregory in 1845. Gregory was a New England gardener, innovative seedsman, and philanthropist in Marblehead, Massachusetts. It was a neighbor who prepared a hubbard true green from Gregory�s first harvest and discovered its rich orange flesh and excellent sweet flavor.
It was named in honor of Miss Elizabeth Hubbard, their washerwoman, who made her known. Elizabeth Hubbard had obtained her seeds from Captain Knott Martin. According to the Gregory family, this variety was introduced from Boston to Marblehead around 1798. It would come from the Caribbean or South America. There is a depiction of a green warty hubbard stained yellow in a still life painting from 1820 in Philadelphia. The “Green Hubbard” is also called, today, “True Hubbard”.
The superb quality and hardiness of the hubbard green squash lives true to this day. Our hubbards have been extremely successful in the two consecutive years we�ve grown them and have averaged between 15 to 30 pounds each! The flesh is plentiful, highly nutritious, and versatile in its cooking uses, ex. sweeter and more flavorful than pumpkins in pie as well as meaty in vegetarian curry dishes.
Hubbards are all full-flavoured, sweet, usually moist and �buttery� in texture. Some varieties are a bit drier (e.g. blue/grey hubbard) and some are moister (e.g. green hubbard, and all the orange ones). The original variety of Hubbard squash is native to South America. The Hubbard squash is thought to have been grown in New England since the 1830’s and sold commercially since 1909.
Varieties:
Hubbard Green Verrucous
The plants extend considerably (up to 4-5 meters) before producing many spindle-shaped fruits. They are up to 7 kg. The epidermis is totally warty and bronze green in color. Thick, dry, yellow-orange flesh, with fine texture and excellent flavor. Very good preservation capacity. Growth: 105-115 days. This traditional variety from the USA is also called “Chicago Warted Hubbard”. It was developed in 1894 from the “Green Hubbard”.
Olive Green Pumpkin
Origin: South America. Cultivated in France since 1880. It is a runner plant that extends about 3 meters. (Growth: 110 to 130 days) There are 3 to 4 fruits per foot, from 3 to 5 kg. The fruits look like a big olive, 20 to 25 cm in diameter. The epidermis is olive green. It is smooth, with some small asperities when it is ripe, and therefore thin easy to peel. The flesh, yellow in color, is thick, stringy and floury. Excellent taste quality especially after a storage time. (In January, the flesh becomes melting and sweet). It is used in many preparations: gratin, puree, souffl�, donuts, jam. The fruits are harvested at maturity, that is to say around mid-October. They are kept from 3 to 7 months.
It’s sweeter than butternut, with beautiful orange flesh that’s reminiscent of a sweet potato in color. Although the buttercup is very close in appearance to the kabocha, the texture of this compact squash is much drier and the flavor much more mild than its nutty and sweet look-alike.
Green Hokkaido
Variety runner. Epidermis of green-gray color. Round fruits 10 to 15 cm in diameter with slightly marked ribs. Yellow flesh very soft, not very fibrous and dry. Each plant can carry 1 to 3 fruits from 1 to 2.5 kg. Preservation: almost 1 year. Growth: 100 days. From Japan.
Potiron Doux
Pumpkin of small dimensions, in France where it is favored, it is called “potiron doux” and it is mainly used for risotto. Also known as Sweet Pumpkin or French Cake, or “dolce francese” in Italian.
A runner variety producing 2 to 4 fruits per foot, 12 to 15 cm in diameter and 9 to 12 cm in height, from 1 to 4 kg on average. The flesh of Hokkaido Sweet Green Pumpkin is dark orange, thick, sweet, sweet, of good quality for soup, puree, gratin, flan.
Meruhen
This variety was introduced in Japan in 1995. In Japan Meruhen is occasionally sold under its German name ‘M�rchen’ which means fairytale.
Plant: vine;Fruits: rounded, considerably flattened on top and at the bottom; Size (DxH): 15 – 19 cm x 8 – 12 cm; Flesh: dark yellow; dry, firm; sweet, excellent chestnut flavour; Usage-Recommendation: Soup, Puree, Oven, Steam, Deep-Fry Storage time: +++ Weight: 1.2 kg – 1.8 kg. Maturity: 130 days
Buttercup squash is a lot like kabocha with a belly button � but generally a little larger, a little moister, and not as nuanced in terms of flavor.
Kabocha is round with no imperfections on button, the area where the turban grows on a Buttercup.
Buttercup shape is different more square.
The kabocha stem shape is different as well, not squishy. It�s more like a tree trunk.
However, the single most important characteristic is that tiny button bottom.. no variation in it.. smooth, non issue.. If it�s bumpy or raised, or two levels, even if it is not a traditional buttercup cap, it still ain�t a kabocha butt.
Taste: The buttercup is wet and kinda goes to goo no matter what you do to it�and didn�t make a good fry. Kabocha tastes more substantial. The texture of kabocha is denser to me and there is just a taste to it that is different. It stays in chunks easier.
It seems that a kabocha/buttercup hybrid is often sold in stores, as the buttercup turban rarely shows and the shape is rounded yet flat.
Very suitable for cooking. This squash is an old Italian heirloom. It looks like a cross between a butternut and a La Estrella, only much larger. It has a rich sweet flesh and is good for all baking purposes.
Large, oblong-butternut shaped fruit can weigh 25 kg. The flesh is bright orange, flavor is superbly rich and very sweet. The skin is deep green, turning tan in storage. These are attractive squash and great for areas with warm, long seasons. A good heirloom for home or market. A beautiful very old Italian heirloom that was listed in America by Fearing Burr in 1863; very rare in the USA. It is mentioned in the work of Vilmorin-Andrieux “The Vegetable Plants” in 1856.
Also known as Pleine de Naples, Violin, Bedouin, Coat Rack or Carpet Bag.
Varieties:
Nice long
Very long fruits with a very fine flavor are often curved up to 1 m long. They can be eaten young or at full maturity. Their weight varies from 3 to 10 kg and their diameter from 10 to 18 cm. The epidermis is first light green then ocher at maturity. The orange flesh is firm, musky and slightly sweet. This ancient variety is native to the south of France.
Taiwan Honey
Taiwan Honey is a new hybrid variety developed from the well-known high quality squash in Taiwan. The plant is very vigorous and strong branching for setting lots of fruits in warm climates.
Muscatnaya
A variety from Russia. Weight: 5.0 kg – 7.0 kg. Maturity: 100 days
Calabaza Pequena Asar
Means small roast squash in Portuguese. Very sugary sweet flesh.
Zapallo de Tula
In the province of Herrera in Panama this variety of squash is commonly grown around the town of Tula. A farmer on the side of the road was selling these attractive beauties and he told Patrick, Joe’s brother that the flesh was “Muy Rico” -“very good!” This squash is grown in the hot dry areas but does well in hot humid areas as well according to our Panamanian Farmer Informant. The necks of this squash are long and meaty and the flesh is of good baking or cooking quality. A favorite in Panama. This Moschata variety probably needs a long growing season to be sure, but we would tell anyone with Moschata Squash growing experience to try it as it is well worth the effort to see if it will produce for you.
San Jose Mountain
San Jose Mountain is a an heirloom pumpkin variety from Costa Rica where it is still widely grown today. The fruit is shaped like a club or an oversize butternut with smooth rind that starts out a dark green colour and turns a burnt umber tan colour as it matures. The huge vines will produce fruit ranging from 4kg to 9kg in around 110 days. Flesh is a rich deep orange colour, firm, dryish and lovely sweet. Seeds are all in the bulb end, so the rest is all flesh. This variety was previously unheard of in Australia and is understandably rare.
Very suitable for cooking
The heirloom winter squash comes from the small Italian seaside village of Chioggia. The dry, sweet flesh is ideal for Italian recipes that call for squash. The fruit weigh about 10 lbs. each and are produced on vigorous vines.
A magnificent traditional Italian variety of excellent gastronomic quality: ideal for pumpkin tortelli and gnocchi. Present in Italy for several centuries, it has, like all C. maxima, its point of origin in South America. Also known as Zucca Santa or Zucca Barucca; this term derives from the union of wart and the Jewish word baruch (holy, blessed).
Varieties:
Berrettina Piacentina from Piacenza region of northern Italy.
3. Shishigatani Pumpkin
A medium-sized, dark green Japanese heirloom pumpkin. This green pumpkin has a unique hourglass shape with a ribbed, warty rind.
This kind of green pumpkin is a gourmet culinary heirloom pumpkin. It is known for its fine-grained flesh and balanced earthy flavor.
4. Thai Kang Kob Pumpkin
It is a small-medium, dark green to gray-green Thai heirloom pumpkin. This ribbed, warty fruit grows on pest-resistant plants.
The mature and ripe Thai Kang Kob Pumpkin weighs 6-8 pounds and has excellent cooking characteristics.
5. Speckled Hound Pumpkin
A small-medium size hybrid pumpkin. It has orange rinds covered in splashes and streaks of dark green. This eye-catching green pumpkin is quite a bit unique!
The mature and ripe Speckled Hound Pumpkin weighs 3-6 pounds. Each varies in its orange/green pattern coloration. It makes a good pumpkin for cooking.
6. Pepitas Pumpkin
This kind of Green Pumpkin is a medium-size round yellow pumpkin. With mottled green stripes down the sides.
Pepitas Pumpkin is a hybrid variety known for its delicious pumpkin seeds and does not have tough hulls around it. The mature and ripe Pepitas pumpkin weighs 9-12 pounds. It is great for both ornamental purposes and for cooking.
This green Pumpkin is resistant to powdery mildew.
7. American Tondo Pumpkin
A medium-size round pumpkin with a yellow rind and mottled green stripes. The mature and ripe ones weigh about 8-12 pounds. It is excellent for cooking and the fruit is nicely ribbed and highly ornamental.
8. Shokichi Green Mini Kabocha Pumpkin
It is a small Kabocha cultivar with a gray-green rind and light vertical streaks. This is a fine-textured cooking pumpkin that grows on productive plants.
The mature and ripe Shokichi Green Mini Kabocha Pumpkin weighs just under a pound. Each pumpkin makes perfect single-serving size.
9. Winter Sweet Squash
A small, pale-green hybrid Kabocha pumpkin. It has a smooth rind, dense, and flavorful flesh. This distinctive squash is highly ornamental and tends to have its best flavor once it has been stored for several months.
The mature and ripe Winter Sweet Squash weighs 4-5 pounds.
10. Honey Bear Squash
It is around shiny, dark green acorn squash. With the appearance of a small green pumpkin. This delicious pumpkin-like squash weighs about a pound.
Each grows a compact plant. This Honey Bear Squash was named an All-America Selections Winner in 2009 and received the RHS Award of Garden Merit in 2011.
11. Kabocha Pumpkin
It is a small, dark green heirloom pumpkin variety from Japan. Also known as the Japanese Black Pumpkin.
This pumpkin has a rough outer rind and a bright orange interior. Kabocha Green Pumpkin is sweet and fine-textured flesh.
It is perfect for making curries, pumpkin bread, and other delicious fall recipes. Each of the pumpkins ranges in size from about 3-5 pounds. This delicious pumpkin received the RHS Award of Garden Merit in 2011.
12. Bonbon Squash
A round, pumpkin-like buttercup squash with a dark green rind. With light gray stripes at the button at the base of the fruit.
The mature and ripe Bonbon squash weighs 4-5 pounds. It is excellent for cooking fruits. This Bonbon Squash was named an All-America Selections winner in 2005.
13. Yuxi Jiang Bing Gua Squash
It is a small-medium rounded, deeply ribbed squash. It has a bright green color when young and tender. This kind of green pumpkin is a versatile fruit.
It could be enjoyed when tender or could be left to mature on the vine into yellow-rind winter squash.
The mature and Ripe Yuxi Jiang Bing Gua Squash weighs in the range of 3-8 pounds.
14. Green Striped Cushaw Pumpkin
It is a uniquely shaped, medium-sized pumpkin that has an elongated neck and mottled green stripes.
The mature ripe fruit varies quite a bit in size from 7 to 25 pounds. This pumpkin is highly ornamental and great for cooking.
15. Tours Pumpkin
It is a tall, oval-shaped, medium-large French heirloom with green and yellow stripes. The mature and ripe Tours pumpkin weighs 16-18 pounds.
This ornamental pumpkin adds height to a display of different types of pumpkins. It could also be used for cooking.
16. Shokichi Green Mini Kabocha Pumpkin
A small Kabocha cultivar with a gray-green rind and light vertical streaks. This is a fine-textured cooking pumpkin that grows on productive plants.
The mature and ripe Shokichi Green Mini Kabocha Pumpkins weigh just under a pound. It makes perfect single-serving size.
17. Buen Gusto De Horno Pumpkin
A medium-size, green heirloom pumpkin cultivated in Spain. This ancient pumpkin has a very wrinkled, thick rind and deep ribs. Every pumpkin weighs 10-15 pounds.
This pumpkin is known for its great taste as a cooked pumpkin.
18. Crown Prince Pumpkin
It is a small hybrid pumpkin with a smooth silver-blue rind. It has a turban-like button on the base. It stores much well and is highly rated for taste.
The mature and ripe fruit weighs about 5 pounds. This kind of green pumpkin, the Crown Prince Pumpkin, received the RHS Award of Garden Merit in 2011.
19. Sugar Cup Pumpkin
A medium-size, richly-colored, green-blue pumpkin with an heirloom appearance. It has very thick stems and some fruits have turban-like buttons on the bottom.
The mature and ripe fruit weighs about 8 pounds each.
20. Rembrandt Pumpkin
It is a large hybrid ornamental pumpkin with a mottled rind. It shows off both a peachy-pink color and a green-blue shade.
The Rembrandt Pumpkin grows to 15-20 pounds. It is stunning in fall displays and the fruit has a pointed tip.
Final Thoughts on Green Pumpkin – Uses and Varieties
Indeed, Green pumpkins are not necessarily unripe pumpkins, but some are naturally green even when ripe. It can either be a solid green or a blend of colors, depending on the type.
Hopefully, the above guides will be of help to you. Happy Gardening!
Read More:
Plant Growth Stages of Pumpkins: In Six Easy Stages
